Beth Botts – Page 11 –

Colorful leaves that fall in autumn are not just beautiful but too useful to waste, so put them to work in the garden. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Make the most of fallen leaves in your garden

October 27, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

When autumn leaves fall from the trees, welcome them as though you’d found a treasure chest. “There are so many ways to use leaves in the garden,” said Spencer Campbell,...

Because the climate is increasingly variable and autumn weather is less predictable, the average first frost date has become less useful as a gardening guideline. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Watch the weather, not the date

October 19, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Are you still planning your autumn gardening based on the first frost date? It may be time to rethink that.

Even in the smallest yard, there’s space for the color and cheer of spring-blooming bulbs. (Beth Botts / The Morton Arboretum)

Look around for more spots where spring bulbs could bloom

October 13, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Fitting in more spring bulbs will do more than brighten your yard.

A woody vine with many bright orange berries popping out of yellow seed capsules, Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a serious invasive plant that threatens native forests. (Deborah J. G. Brown/The Morton Arboretum)

Bright berries could signal an invasive plant

October 5, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Oriental bittersweet is an aggressive, twining woody vine that winds around the trunk or branch of a tree like a boa constrictor.

A long period of dry weather in Aug. and September may affect trees’ fall color this year. Regular watering helps trees put on their best show. (John Weinstein/The Morton Arboretum)

Dry summer may affect autumn color

September 28, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

The trees in your garden and your neighborhood endured a serious dry spell this year, which may affect their fall leaf color.

Dividing perennials — or marking late-blooming ones to divide next spring — is a good gardening task for early autumn. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Fall garden tasks start with watering

September 22, 2024 at 12:30 p.m.

Here are some outdoor tasks to consider for autumn.

Cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmegs — all spices in a pumpkin spice latte — show how we owe a “thank you” to trees and other plants.

Thank trees for pumpkin spice

September 14, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

When you sip a pumpkin spice latte or light up a pumpkin spice candle, you owe trees a “thank you.” “Most of the spices come from trees,” said Spencer Campbell,...

When you plant a tree, make sure that the root flare — the areas where the trunk flares out into the roots — is placed at or slightly above soil level. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Give a new tree a good start in fall

September 7, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

While you wait for autumn leaves to fall, consider planting a tree. “If you plant a tree in early autumn, the soil will still be warm enough to encourage root...

Stiff goldenrod is one of more than a dozen native species of goldenrod that bloom with bright yellow flowers in late summer throughout Illinois, and none of them causes allergies. The real

culprit is ragweed. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Enjoy goldenrod and don’t fear sneezing

September 3, 2024 at 11:07 a.m.

If your allergies act up in late summer, don’t blame goldenrod.

Indigo buntings are among the migratory birds that depend on trees and other plants in yards, gardens, parks and natural areas as they fly south along the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River in fall. (The Morton Arboretum)

Make your garden a friendly rest stop for migrating birds

August 25, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

More than 200 species of birds fly through the Chicago area every autumn, following Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River south for the winter.

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